Join Wildlife Jewels® for our 2nd Annual Sweep for Wildlife Coastal Cleanup Day Celebration!
Photo: A precious Gull with fishing gear injuries to her bill at Corona del Mar State Beach, 2025 by Azi S. / Wildlife Jewels
Join Wildlife Jewels® for our 2nd Annual Sweep for Wildlife Coastal Cleanup Day Celebration!
In honor of California Coastal Cleanup Day
📍 Corona del Mar State Beach, CA
📅 Sunday, September 21, 2025 | 11 AM–1 PM
Help us save sea life: Explore Wildlife Jewels EYES
Wildlife Jewels® is seeking volunteers and community reporters to help monitor beaches and report distressed Pelicans. Learn how you can get involved and Join the Wildlife Jewels’ EYES Collective Program!
Wildlife Jewels Earth Day Sweep & Learn for Wildlife at Corona del Mar State Beach, April 27, 2025
Wildlife Jewels Earth Day Sweep & Learn for Wildlife at Corona del Mar State Beach, April 27, 2025
Special Participation by the UCI Anteater Beach Club!
Meet Wildlife Jewels Selenite Crystal the Gull ✨
Selenite Crystal the Gull, April 2025 at CDM State Beach
We first spotted this resilient Gull during our December King Tides cleanup at Corona del Mar State Beach. Crystal is featured in our event flyer—and just last week, we saw her again.
Sadly she’s missing one foot and has the other entangled in a fishing line—a heartbreaking reminder of why our cleanups matter.
Join us this Sunday for our 2nd Annual Earth Day Sweep & Learn for Wildlife Walk to help protect Crystal and other precious wildlife from debris like plastic and discarded fishing gear.
Let’s come together to care for our coast and all who call it home. You might even get the chance to see Crystal in person!
Wildlife Jewels® King Tides Sweep & Learn: A Special Encounter with “Selenite Crystal the Gull” December 2024 at Corona del Mar State Beach
Sadly, we also encountered a beautiful Gull who was missing one foot, with the other tightly wrapped in a fishing line. Concerned volunteers observed her at the start of the event. To our surprise, as we wrapped up the cleanup, she flew towards our group, landed nearby, and watched us as if she was asking for help. Witnessing this was a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating impact marine debris has on our precious wildlife. Over the past few months, we've observed a significant increase in the number of gulls with missing feet and/or entangled in fishing line during our coastal wildlife monitoring efforts. Every animal matters, and it’s a call to action for all of us to help protect them.
One of our dedicated volunteers spotted a precious bird with one missing foot and the other entangled in fishing line.
December 15th 2024, Corona del Mar State Beach
Fishing Gear
Every day, countless seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals suffer injuries or lose their lives due to entanglement in fishing lines and hooks. This includes the tragic consequence of swallowing fishing hooks.
Hooks and lines caught in debris can lead to devastating entanglements for animals, causing injuries to legs, wings, and beaks of birds. A single hook caught in a beak or mouth can be devastating leading to starvation and death.
Thanks to the dedication of our participants, we were able to locate and remove fishing lines and at least one fishing hook during our clean-up in Corona Del Mar. This debris poses a significant threat to seabirds and shorebirds, especially as lines and hooks become ensnared in branches and seaweed along the shoreline— where these birds search for food.
By picking up debris, even just one fishing hook, you are making a difference saving wildlife!
